All Souls
by Emjay
Summary: Set after Abhorsen--A sudden and unexpected trip into Death provokes unexpected questions to which there are no answers, and after a trip to Belisaere gone horribly awry, Nicholas must find some way to keep from loosing everything that has ever mattered t


A/N: Well, I've gone and done it, started ANOTHER fanfiction, even when I've got two others on the go. * sigh * I just couldn't help myself with this one. I've got a pretty good idea of what is going to happen in this fic, but it will be very subject to change, since I'm often thinking and finding new ways to do things. I guess you could say this is after my first Garth Nix piece "When the Lightning Stops", but it could also stand by itself. But, please go and read my other piece, and review, because I will love your forever and for always if you do! So, enjoy this first chapter and R&R!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nadda. Do not sue, or I will set Mogget-kitty on you!

Chapter One

Lirael stumbled backwards, struggling to balance herself after the Dead's uncharacteristicly heavy push. It wasn't a particularily strong Dead spirit, but it had spunk, and it wanted Life, in any way it could get it. Finally gaining her footing, Lirael unsheathed her heavy Charter spelled blade, swinging in a wide arc over her head to slash through bone and sinew, rendering the spirit from the now shapeless body. The Dead shrieked as the Charter marks sizzled and fissed, dissolving already decaying flesh, destroying the body it had so easily inhabited. It crumpled at Lirael's feet as she drew Saraneth, twisting her wrist to make a single clear note and send the Dead spirit far into Death. The body twitched once as the Dead spirit left it, forced by Lirael's will past the Ninth Gate, then lay still.

Breathing heavily, Lirael stilled Saraneth's clapper, placing it carefully back into its pocket, taking her blade and sliding it into the scabbard. Under the heavy Abhorsen waistcoat, her other shirt stuck uncomfortably to her back, soaked with sweat. It was an early summer evening, and wearing all her gear wasn't exactly the best idea in Lirael's opinion. She was very much looking forward to getting back to the house, once she was sure no more Dead had decided to take an evening stroll. 

"Are you done yet?" 

Lirael turned, hearing the familiar voice. Sitting at her feet, Mogget watched her with his clear, almond shaped eyes, little Ranna hanging from his neck. Even though Sabriel had set him free, he still preferred the cat form, and so most of the time stayed that way. Of course, the small albino man sometimes made appearances.

"I think so." She replied, grasping the pomel of her blade lightly. "I don't sense any more Dead."

"Good." Mogget replied, turning around. "Now we can go back to the House. Nicholas won't give me any fish."

Lirael sighed.

"Why don't you ask the sendings? I'm sure they would be happy to help."

"They don't like me. And besides, their cooking is horrible."

Lirael sighed again, following him back towards the waterfall and the island. Once they were safely inside the water stained walls, Lirael unbuckled her scabbard and handed it to the sending at the front door who took it inside the house and to wherever they kept everything. Lirael had never discovered any rooms so far, and so she supposed it was a secret.

Mogget weaved around her feet as she walked, his soft white fur brushing against her leg, and it was only when she found him some fish did he dissapear, little Ranna tinkling in his wake. Lirael found Nick sitting on the balcony off the dining room, stretched out on a long chair, his blonde hair blowing softly in the spray drenched breeze. He didn't even hear her come out, and jumped slightly when she sat in the chair opposite him.

"Hello." He said, smiling a little. "Have a good romp with the Dead?"

"I suppose so."

Nick sat up slowly, draping his arms over his knees. He handed Lirael a letter, hastily scribbled in his own neat script. 

"The…uh..message hawk wouldn't wait, so I had to write down what he said. It's from Sam, in Belisaere."

"Really?"

Lirael unfolded the letter, reading the message quickly.

_Dear Lirael_

I'm sorry I haven't written in a while, things have been busy around the Palace. Sabriel and Touchstone send their regards.

I wanted to ask how things are down at the Abhorsen's House. Mother hasn't been wrapped up with much lately, and she wanted to know if everything was as quiet around your neck of the woods as it is here. I guess that's a good sign, but she just wanted to know. 

Also, how is your hand working out? I hope it's alright. I spent a long time on it, trying to get everything right, so it would be dissapointing if it wasn't up to standard. You really need two hands doing what you do. I wouldn't want to hinder your work with a faulty one.

Well, I hope you get this soon(the message hawk is kind of new),and please send a reply.

Sameth

Lirael tucked the letter away in her pocket, then leaned back in her own chair, closing her eyes and draping one arm aross them to shield from the setting sun. She could feel Nick watching her, and smiled inwardly. He had been watching her a lot lately, even though he wouldn't admit it. 

"Aren't you going to send a reply?" he asked.

Lirael shrugged a little.

"Tommorow. I'm really tired right now."

There was a moment of almost complete silence with the waterfall roaring dimly in the background, then Lirael heard Nick get up and step closer to her, blocking the sunlight from touching her pale face. He sat down slowly beside her and tenderly touched her brow, brushing away one sweaty strand of black hair. 

"You shouldn't work yourself so hard you know." He told her, his slender fingers splaying across her cheek. "I mean, Sabriel is the Abhorsen, you're just the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, so you don't necessarily have to do anything….."

Lirael opened her eyes and looked at him, effectively cutting of his speech.

"Why are you so worried?" she asked softly. "You know I have to do this. I need to train myself, because when Sabriel is gone, I have to be as good as her."

Nick shrugged, chuckling a little.

"I suppose you're right…..This whole Abhorsen business still confuses me even after a year of being here. I wonder if I'll really ever let go of my beliefs and accept anything."

Lirael touched his shoulder lightly.

"Give it time."

Nick nodded, retreating to his own chair again and placing the new thin wire frame glasses on his nose. The others had long since been destroyed, fallen apart after spending too much time in the Old Kingdom, so Sam had made him some new ones. They were small, round frames crafted of bronze, and suited him nicely, Lirael thought. She liked him better with them on. They made him look very educated and smart, even though he already was, and accented his sharp features. She had told him this once, and since then, he had tried to wear them at every opourtunity, even though he didn't need them all the time.

"I think we should make a trip to Belisaere." Lirael said suddenly, sitting up and regarding Nick closely. "We've been away for a very long time. And there are a few things I want to go over with Sabriel…."

Nick smiled, leaning back in his chair and retrieving his novel from the table beside him, one he had procured from the vast library within the Abhorsen's House.

"I think that's a grand idea." He said. "Why don't you tell them in the message we'll be coming?"

"Of course. I might as well do that now….." She stood quickly, straightening her bunched up waistcoat. "I'll see you inside later then?"

Nick smiled wider.

"You can count on it."

After finishing the letter and sending it with the House's own message hawk, Lirael went to her room and heated some water for a bath, something to ease her sore muscles. Sendings appeared before she could light the fire in her hearth though, politely pushing her out of the way and doing it themselves. Others began to undress her, and some brought in basins of water.

Even after living at the Abhorsen's House for close to a year, Lirael wasn't used at all to the Sendings doing absolutely everything for her. In the Clayr's Glacier, they had had Sendings for very minor jobs in the library, but every Clayr had been responsible for their own care and overall well-being. Being waited on hand and foot made Lirael a little uneasy. She almost felt guilty that the Sendings had to do everything, even though they were only made of Charter magic, and weren't technically human beings. But all the same, Lirael didn't mind doing things for herself, and sometimes the over eager Sendings drove her to distraction, and Nick or Mogget would often walk in on her yelling at one of them to leave her alone.

Lirael was glad they didn't have any feelings or emotions, for she didn't fancy the idea of making one of them mad, especially when they had access to her laundry, and food.

Once the water had been heated and poured into the bathtub, the Sendings each bowed to her once, then filed out, closing the door softly behind them. Lirael removed her bath-robe once they were gone, then graciously sank into the warm, bubbly water, sliding further down until she was in to her neck. Sighing contentedly, she closed her eyes and lay her head over the edge, closing off her thoughts and just sitting there, enjoying the sensation of so much warmth around her. 

She was just about to drift off into sleep, when the water suddenly went ice cold, and the bathtub underneath her completely vanished. Lirael screamed as she went under, struggling with the current that was trying to drag her away. After much fighting, she broke surface and struggled to her feet, gasping with complete shock when she realized she was no longer in her room, but in Death.

"What?!" she whispered, horrofied. How could she be in Death? 

The current tugging persistantly at her ankles, ice cold and dark, could only belong to Death. But how had she gotten here? She certainly hadn't willed it, and only wanting to go into death, or being sent there by the necromancer's bells could bring you away from Life. 

And the fact that she was completely naked didn't help matters at all.

Calming her breathing, Lirael concluded that she would forget about _how_ she had gotten there for now, and instead focus on getting out. The roar of the First Gate was very close, so Lirael turned around and began walking against the current, wrapping her arms around herself to battle with the cold seeping up her legs. She was most afraid of walking into something Dead while still in Death, but so far, she hadn't felt anything, but quickened her pace all the same.

Just when she could feel the warmth of Life ahead of her, Lirael's sense of Death twinged sharply, and she suddenly heard something splashing up towards her from the side, something going very fast. 

Surpressing a scream, Lirael began to run, knowing very well that if she tripped and fell, she would be done for. The Dead spirit, a very powerful spirit deep from the bowels of the Eighth or Ninth gate, was approaching very quickly, slicing through the water like a torpedo amidst a shower of hissing steam and sparks, and Lirael knew that if it caught her, she would have no way of protecting herself. Her bells were back in life, tucked away safely, and her Charter spelled blade was in some Sending storage room, ready for when she would need it next. 

"Oh please…" she whimpered, pumping her arms faster to gain more speed. "Oh please…."

The Dead spirit broke the surface, taking a lunge at her from the side, and Lirael pushed everything she had into one last desperate jump. Just as she felt the spirit nick her side, she was thrown back into Life, thrashing wildly in the tub that had now appeared again, breaking the ice and sending bits of it skittering across the floor. 

"Lirael!" A voice shouted from in front of her. "Lirael! Calm down!"

She felt strong hands grip her wrists, halting her struggles, and her eyes flashed open to see Nick standing beside the tub, a look of panic etched all over his features. 

"Let go!" she cried, breaking free of his grasp and vaulting out of the tub. "The doorway might still be open! I have to get my bells….."

Nick approached her quickly and threw his arms around her, halting her frantic search for the bandolier of bells. 

"Quiet Lirael." He soothed, stroking her wet hair. "The doorway is closed. Whatever was following you can't get through now."

Lirael was about to protest, but it soon became very clear that she could no longer feel the strong sense of Death, or the Dead spirit that had pursued her. There was nothing but her and Nick, and the soft sloshing of the full bathtub, and the fact that she was still very naked.

Lirel sprung away from him as if burned and snatched a towel from her bed, wrapping it hastily around her. Her cheeks burned with embarassment, and she could not look up and meet Nick's gaze where he still stood in the middle of the room. There was an awkward silence, then Lirael looked up timidly to see him grinning at her a little, although his eyes were still clouded with concern.

"I guess I should go then, hmm?" he asked, souding somewhat hurt.

"Yes. I-I can deal with this without your help Nicholas. I don't need you worrying about me…." 

Lirael nodded fervently, almost as if to assure herself, turning away from him to sort out some clothes for her to wear. Her face was still a bright crimson, and she didn't bother to stare after him as Nick left the room. Once he was gone, however, she felt her heart clench painfully in guilt. He'd just wanted to help and she'd sent him away like some stupid puppy who just didn't understand. 

Sighing, Lirael made a mental note to appologise later, and maybe even make it up to him somehow. She didn't know what she could do, since she obviously couldn't even hope to make him a homecooked meal, or something along those lines, but resolved to find some way to show she really was sorry. 

After all, they would be going to Belisaere soon, and she guessed Sameth would want some quality time with his friend, so this was her only chance before then. And hopefully, when she reached the mighty city, she would be able to speak with Sabriel about her strange encounter in Death, for she was still very much unnerved by the whole ordeal. 

But until then, she would have to try to figure it out herself, and hopefully, Sabriel would have some answers waiting for her in Belisaere.

A/N: Well? What do you think? I know it's short, but I hope this pleases you for now. Please review, because I need it desperately! Tell me what you think! 


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